Engine-stabteb



G. L. ROCK.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 11, 1916.

lutmlfodSept. 9, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WW8 $1M NORA/Er;

WITNESSES. WW

G. L. ROCK.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC ll, I916.

Patentedsept. 9, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T 'rwxm G. L. ROCK.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED mac. n, 19m.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

M a E E IV T N [11551319 .Fig. 9 isa plan view of a GEORGE I1. BOOK, OF WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN.

ENGINE-STARTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

Application filed December 11, 1916. Serial No. 136,159.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. ROCK, a citi zen of the United States, and residing at Waukesha, in the county of Waukesha and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and Improved Engine-Starter, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an engine starter and is an improvement on that described in my pending application Serial Number 2747 8, filed May 12, 1915, upon which Patent No. 1,208,016 was granted Dec. 12, 1916. In each case the starting impulse is obtained from a spring, the latter being automatically maintained in stressed condition by the engine. The invention includes improvements over the previous construction in the following features, among others :the mechanism whereby the spring is either held or released; the mechanism whereby the stress is transmitted from the externally toothed driving gear connected to the spring to the associated shaft; the mechanism for controlling the ie-winding of the sprin by the engine; the manually operated win ing mechanism. There is also disclosed and claimed means for regulating the tension of the sprocket chain and there is shown an improved clutch which 1s cla1med in my co-pending application Serial Number 136,160, filed Dec. 11,1916.

In the drawin s, Figure 1 is a plan vlew, parts being. bro (en away, the frame and floor of the vehicle being omltted. F 1g. 2 is a side view, partly in section, showing the relation of the parts to the frame Fig. 3 is a front view corresponding to Fig. 1, the chain casing being removed. F1g. 4 1s a fragmentary rear view showlng the mechanism for manually rewinding the spring. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of 1. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is "a section through the front end of the spring casing and associated parts. Fig. 8 is a section on the line 88 oPFig. 7 ortion of the brake band, the leather facing being removed. Fig." 10 is a longitudinal section through the rear end of the spring and associated parts. Fig. 11 is a sejction on the line 1111 of Fig. 10. Fig.-12 is a front view of the externally toothed gear shown in Fig. 7, together with the dogs.

carried thereby. Fig. 13 is asection through the gear showing the mounting of the dogs.

thrown into the corresponding space.

In the embodiment shown, 1 indicates a channeled side bar and 2 a front cross bar of a motor vehicle, and mounted on the latter in any suitable manner is one end 5 of an engine casting. The engine shaft appears at 6.

The engine shaft has alined therewith a starting shaft 8 slidable in a bushing 9 carrled at the forward end of the engine castmg; at the rear end of this shaft is attached, preferably by means of the pin 12 and key 13 (Fig. 6), a clutch member 14 having a conical head 15. At its front end the engine shaft is provided with a clutch member 16 (that may be substituted for and serve the purpose of the ordinary fan pulley) secured thereon by the cross pin 18 and having a tapered guide 19 adapted to receive the conical head of the member 14:. Jaws 20 (preferably an odd number spaced substantially equally angularly about the axis of the engine shaft) project forwardly from the member 16. The member 14: is hollow and has alined longitudinal slots'22 (Fig. 6) through which extends a bar key 23 that may swing about a pivot 24 on a sliding block 25 which is thrust toward the engine shaft by a spring 26 contained in the clutch member. Therefore, when the starter shaft 1s thrust to the rear it immediately assumes a positive driving relation to the engine shaft, regardless of whether both ends of the bar key happen to be alined with the spaces between the jaws or not, for in case one end'of the key strikes a jaw, its other end is instantly snapped about the pivot it lllld e chatterin and wear incident to ordinary aw clutc es is thus avoided.

Rigid with the forward end of the start ing shaft is a sprocket wheel 28 having ratchet teeth 29 to allow the safe application of a starting crank (not shown). The sprocket wheel may be joined to a spring winding shaft 30 parallel to the starting shaft by a chain 31 and sprocket wheel 32, and both wheels and chain may be inclosed by a casing 33 having an o ening-in aline ment with the startersha said-opening having a suitable closure 34. The shaft 30 is preferably mounted in spaced roller bearings 36 (Fig. 7) carried by a sleeve 38 which fprojects into and, in effect, forms a part 0 a head 39 for a spring casing, said head being joined to the barrel 40 of the v .casing' by means of the bolts 42 and a flange 43 riveted to said barrel at 44. The sleeve 38 (Fig. 2) passes through and is rotatable in a collar 46 (not shown in Fig.,

7) which, by means of a pivot 48, is supported by a bracket 49 near the front end of the side bar 1; the collar also has rigid therewith an arm 50 (Figs. 1 and 3) that extends toward the center of the car and has its end threaded to receive a bolt 51 arranged to bear against the lower surface of the cross bar 2. The bolt upon being projected against the cross bar forces the collar 46 to swing counterclockwise (Fig. 3) about the pivot 48, and thereby determines the tension on the chain 31.

The shaft (Fig. 7) has integral therewith a crank-53 that extends into the barrel 40 and has mounted thereon an externally toothed gear 54, a roller bearing 55 preferably being interposed and the rear end of the gear-hub being closed by the diaphragm 56 that abuts a retaining flange 58. The

gear 54 is perforated to receive the forwardly turned end 59 of the helical spring or motor 60 that at its rear end 61 is operatively connected to the ratchet gear 62 through mechanism which will be explained later. Any tendency of the ratchet gear to turn'counterclockwise (Fig. 3) or clockwise (Fig. 11) is overcome by the spring pressed dog 63 carried in a hollow boss on the supporting bracket 64 for the rear end of the spring and associated parts; therefore when the spring 60 is wound, its full force is thrown upon the gear 54 and tends to rotate the latter in clockwise direction (Fig. 3). Upon the front face of the gear 54 are a plurality of dogs 65 having shanks 66 (Fig. 13) received in perforatlons that, extend through the gear; the tails 68 of the dogs receive the ends 69 of coil springs 70 that are for the most part housed in perforations in the gear and have their other ends 71 passed through slots in they shanks 66 to form cotters. The tendency of the springs is to turn the dogs clockwise (Fig. 12) whereby they are maintained in engagement with the teeth of a ratchet wheel 72 preferably formed integral with the shaft 30 and crank 53 and coaxial with the latter. When the spring 60 is wound and the gear 54 is released, the shaft 30 is thus turned clockwise, Fig. 3. For the purpose of Preventing the spring 60 from being thrust against the dogs, pin 73 (Fig. 7) may be inserted in the face of the gear.

The gear 54 is in mesh with the internally toothed gear 75 housed in the head 39; at its forward end the gear 75 is provided with teeth 76 that are received in sockets 78 (Fig. 8) in a brake band which is also housed 1n the head and includes a steel insert 7 9 having corrugations (Fig. 9) that preferably extend at an angle to the circumference nection.

, tion than ordinary bands and is subject to less wear, seemingly because the, alternately thicker and thinner portions of leather have different densities under pressure and possi bly also on account of a difference in resiliency in adjacent portions of the insert 7 9- at any rate, the leather grips more gradually as pressure is applied and'is'less apt to harden than ordinary bands.

Referring now to the means whereby the spring 60 is rewound :The clutch member 14 (Fig. 1) is subjected to the stress of a spring that surrounds the starter shaft and is thrust thereby toward the member 16, but is normally held away from the latter by a lever which includes the three arms 91, 92 and 93 and .is pivoted on a stud 94 on the engine casing 95. The end of the arm 91, when swung counterclockwise (Fig. 3), lies in the path of a'circumferential cam 96 on the clutch member 14 and with the first turn of the engine shaft thereafter disengages the member 14 from the member 16, after which the arm passes down behind the tapered surface 98 (Fig. 6) and retains the parts out of engagement. When the spring 60 is wound and the brake 7980 is expanded, the tension of the spring is transferred to the housing, which it will be remembered is free to rotate in bearing 46, and causes the latter to carry a torque arm 99 (bolted thereto at 42 and pivotally joined. to the arm 92 by a link 101), with it in a clockwise direction (Fig. 3), thereby holding the arm 91 down against the surface 98. This tendency may be overcome and the arm 91 may be withdrawn from the path of the cam 96 (after which the clutch member 14 immediately snaps into engagement with the member 16) manually by means of a suitable concrank 106, link 108 and pedal 109 within convenient reach'of the drivers seat. The

pivot 110 whereby the link 105 is joined to the arm 93 projects forwardly through a slot 111 in a brake-rod 112, said slot having an inclined end 113, and said brake-rod passing through the side bar 1 and being pivoted to the brake lever 86 by a pin and slot con- Seated within the side bar is a coiled spring 115, one end 116 of which bears against the web of the side bar whereas the other end 1.18 is looped around the brake-rod and engages a collar 119 adjustably fixed thereon, The spring tends to force the rod to the left (Fig. 3) and normally holds the brake set, but a continued push on the pedal, after the pivot 110 reaches the end of the slot 111-113 (at which oint it is retained by a spring 121 that joins the end of the brake rod and a point on the three armed lever near the pivot 94, overcomes the force of the spring 115 and liberates the internally toothed gear and associated members, whereupon the shaft 30 is spun clockwise (Fig. 3) by means of the dogs 65 and ratchet teeth 72 to start the engine. The latter then drives the shaft in the same direction and, through the crank 53 (when the brake is set),-causes the externally toothed gear to rotate in the internally toothed gear 7 5 in a direction opposite to the rotation of the shaft 30 and at a much reduced rate, thereby winding the spring 60. When the latter has become sufficiently tensioned, the increasing tendency to swing the torque arm 99 clockwise (Fig. 3)v overcomes the pull of the spring 121 and the friction of the pin 110 (that may carry a roller, not shown) in the inclined end 113 of the slot 111, whereupon the three armed lever is thrown to the limit of its movement in a counter-clockwise direction, thus bringing the arm 91 in the ath of the cam 96 to disengage the clutch e ements as heretofore stated.

The manner of mounting the rear end of the spring 60 and of rewinding the latter manually will now be described (Figs. 10 and 11) :-The bracket 64 which is bolted to the side bar forms a cylindrical cap with a perforated extension 125 that, together with a diaphragm 126, forms the support for the ratchet gear 62. Forwardly of the diaphragm the shaft 128 of the ratchet gear supports the end plate 129 of the sprlng casing; the casing 40 is rigid with the end plate 129 and together they turn on the shaft 128, being loosely fitted in the housing 64. Still farther forwardly the shaft 128 is squared at 131 and receives the centering and driving member 132 into which the end 61 of the spring 60 projects. The centering member also receives the rear end of an inner barrel 133 for the spring 60, the forward end of the inner barrel inclosing and being supported upon the hub of the externally toothed gear 54 (Fig. 7)--this mounting allows the gear 62 to rotate in respect to the end of the winding tube or barrel 133, if necessary, and also allows these members to turn together about the axis of the shaft 30.

up through a slot 140 in the floor 141 of the car and may ordinarily be swung for some distance without affecting the brake. A fonwardly projecting arm 142 rigid with the shaft 136 is connected by means of a link 143 (Fig. 4) to an arm 144 of a clutch member 145 (Fig. 10) rotatable and slidable in the bearing 125. Ihe teeth of the clutch member engage with teeth 148 on the hub of the ratchet gear 62 but are normally held out of contact therewith by a compression spring 149 pocketed in said clutch member and hub, consequently the normal operation of the brake member does not affect the gear 62. A push-rod 150 having a head projecting above the floor and its lower end connected to one arm 151 of a bell crank (pivoted to the frame at 153) the other arm 154 of which is arranged to engage the end of the clutch member 145, constitutes means for forcing the latter into engagement with the teeth 148 at will. In order to cushion the rod 150, it may slide through a perforation in the arm 151 and be surrounded by a spring 155 that bears against a collar 156 fixed on the rod.

The operation of the entire device will, it is believed, be readily understood from the foregoing. The details of construction may be varied to a considerable extent from that shown, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited except as indicated by the subjoined claims.

.I claim:

1. A starter for internal combustion engines comprising a stressed spring arranged to be stressed by being wound about an axis, means for utilizing the stress of the spring to start the engine, a casing for the spring, pivot means for supporting the casing, the axis of said pivot means being out of alinement with the axis about which the spring is wound, a bearing carried by the pivot means, said spring tending to cause the casing to turn in the bearing, means for causing the engine to renew the stress in the spring, and means controlled by the casing in its pivotal movement for disconnecting the engine from the spring. y 2. A starter for internal combustion engines comprising a starter shaft in alinement with the engine shaft, clutch means for connecting the starter shaft to the engine shaft, a motor connected to the starter shaft to drive the latter, a casing for the motor, a support for the casing and in respect to which the casing is movable by the stress in the spring, and means controlled by the movement of said casing relatively to the support for disengaging the clutch means to disconnect the starter shaft from the engine shaft.

3. A starter for internal combustion engines comprising a stressedspring, a brake for thespring, a brake rod for the brake, re-

ment of the clutch members with each other and to thereafter release the brake, means associated with said brake rod for retaining the clutch holding means in the position in which the clutch members are free to become engaged.

{1. A starter for internal combustion engines comprising a stressed spring, a shaft driven by said spring, a swingable support for said shaft, a starter shaft parallel to the first mentioned shaft, an endless member whereby the starter shaft is driven from the first mentioned shaft, means for driving the engine from the starter shaft, and means for swinging the shaft support to determine the tension in the endless member.

5. In combination with a motor vehicle including a pair of side bars, a front cross bar, and an engine having its shaft substantially between the side bars, a starter shaft alined with the engine shaft, a helical spring located substantially'parallel to and supported by one of the s1de bars, a shaft substantially coaxial with the spring and driven thereby, a chain and sprocket gears whereby the last mentioned shaft and the starter shaft are connected, and means associated with the front crossbar for regulating the tension of the chain.

6. A starter for internal combustlon engines comprising a spring, means for utilizing the spring to start the eng ne, a caslng for the spring, said casing being movable by an increasing stress in said spring, and means controlled by the movement of the casing for disconnecting the spring from the engine, said last mentioned means ineluding a clutch, resilient means urgmg an element of the clutch into driving relation to another element thereof, a movable member arranged, when in one position, to withdraw the first mentioned clutch element from driving relation to the last' mentioned element, and another movable member for controlling the first mentioned movable member, one of the movable members belng slotted and the other having means that projects into the slot, and a spring tending to urge one of the movable members toward,

the other. 1

- 7. Astarterfor internal combustion englnes comprising a spring arranged to be externally toothed gear in which the crank turns, an internally toothed gear surround ing and in mesh with the externally toothed gear, means for normally preventing one of the gears from turning, the other gear being arranged to transmit movement to the spring, whereby the last mentioned gear is driven from the shaft at a reduced speed to wind the spring, and a movable dog carried by the last mentioned gear for driving the shaft from the spring.

- 8. A starter for internal combustion engines comprising a spring arranged to be stressed by being wound about its own axis, means for utilizing the stress of the spring for starting the engine, means for causing the engine to wind the spring to renew the stress therein, said last mentioned means including a shaft, a crank for the shaft, an externally toothed gear in which the crank turns, an internally toothed gear surrounding and in mesh with the externally toothed gear, means for normally preventing the internally toothed gear from turning, the externally toothed gear being arranged to transmit movement to the spring, whereby the externally toothed gear is driven from the shaft at a reduced speed to wind the spring. ratchet teeth rigid with the shaft, and a dog carried by said externally toothed gear for driving the shaft from the spring.

9. In a starter for internal combustion engines, a coiled spring, means for transmitting stress to and from said spring comprising a shaft, a crank rigid therewith, an externally toothed gear rotatable on the crank, an internally toothed gear in mesh with the externally toothed gear, a friction brake for controlling the internally toothed gear, teeth rigid with the shaft, and a movable dog carried by one of the gears and g arranged to engage said teeth.

10. In a starter for internal combustion engines, a coiled spring, means for transmitting stress to and from said spring comprising a combined shaft, ratchet gear and crank, an externally toothed gear rotatable on the crank, an internally toothed gear in mesh with the externally toothed gear, a friction brake for controlling the internally toothed gear, and a plurality of movable dogs carried by said externally toothed gear for engagement with the ratchet gear.

11. Ina starter for the engine of a motor vehicle, a coiled spring, a casing for said spring, pivot means for supporting one end of said spring in such manner that the spring may swing in planes includin its own axis, means for utilizing the surfs in said spring to start the engine, and e gine driven means for renewing the stress in the spring.

12. In a starter for internal combustion engines, a coiled spring, means for winding said spring comprising a shaft, a crank rigid therewith, an externally toothed gear rotatable on the crank, an internally toothed gear in mesh with the externally toothed gear, a friction brake for controlling the externally toothed gear, said brake including a corrugated metal band and a flexible facing therefor.

13. In a starter for internal combustion engines, a coiled spring, means for winding said spring comprising a shaft, a crank rigid therewith, an externally toothed gear rotatable on, the crank, an internally toothed gear in mesh with the externally toothed gear, a friction brake for controlling the externally toothed gear, said brake including a corrugated annular metal band, a leather facing therefor, a seat with which the facing is arranged to engage, and means for expanding the band.

l l. In a starter for internal combustion engines, a coiled spring, means for winding said spring comprising a shaft, a crank rigid therewith, an externally toothed gear rotatable on the crank, an internally toothed gear in mesh with the externally toothed gear, a friction brake for controlling the externally toothed gear, said brake including an annular corrugated metal insert, tough flexible annular facings for the insert, a seat with which one of the facings is arranged to engage, and means arranged to engage with the other facing for forcing the first named facing into tight engagement with the seat.

15. In a starter or internal combustion engines, a coiled spring, means connected to one end of the spring for starting an engine, and manually operable means connected to the other end of the spring for winding said spring, said last mentioned means comprising a ratchet wheel, a dog for preventing the wheel from turning in one direction, and a clutch the elements of which are normally disconnected from each other through which said ratchet wheel may be driven in the opposite direction.

16. In a starter for internal combustion engines, a coiled spring, means connected to one end of the spring for starting an engine, and manually operable means connected to the other end of the spring for winding said spring, said last mentioned means comprising a ratchet wheel, a dog for preventing the wheel from turning in one direction, and a clutch member slidable longitudinally of the axis of the coiled spring, said ratchet wheel having rigid therewith teeth with which the clutch member engages when in one position whereby the ratchet wheel may be driven in the 0pposite direction.

17. In a starter for internal combustion engines of motor vehicles, a spring, means connected to the spring for starting the engine, manually operable means for renewing the stress in said spring, said last mentioned means including an actuating lever, a clutch through which force from said lever is transmitted to said spring, and a clutch-operating lever, both of said levers being within reach of a driver on the seat of the vehicle.

18. In a starter for internal combustion engines of motor vehicles, a spring, means GEORGE L. ROCK. 

